roots

Guitarist and songwriter, Kurtis Gentle.
Quietly spoken and extremely determined, this 18 year old from country Victoria, Australia surprises a crowd once an instrument is put in his hand, whether that instrument be guitar, banjo or lap slide. With a seemingly effortless voice and intricate guitar work he is proving to be an immense and evolving new talent. Kurtis says his music could be described as acoustic roots and that he likes to keep things simple, but “simple” is not a word which comes to mind when watching him play his fast-paced fingerstyle guitar.

Thriving and following the steps of independent acts before them, benjalu is a band that prides themselves on the old school approach of constant touring to promote their music. Since their formation in 2006 the Newcastle based roots-rock outfit have made the most of their successes. In 2007 benjalu concentrated on playing every week, mainly focussing on shows in their hometown. They capped off the year when the band released their debut EP ‘Reflecting On’ to an overwhelming response.

After a couple of writing sessions together Edward and Michael realised that their strong individual styles blended into a seamless combination of jazz, folk and swing with hints of blues. This heralded the birth of Elbury. Ever since these early writing sessions Elbury has honed their composition skills to create smooth rounded edges to their sound. Through an intricate use of finger picking and harmonies that evoke goose bumps, in songs such as 'Seventh Age'. Many times over Elbury have been thanked by their listeners for the warm state that their wooded acoustic sound brought them to.

It's no surprise that "Not For Love Or Money", the debut album by Aussie roots/rock powerhouse Dallas Frasca has a sense of exhilaration and dynamics throughout. That's because Frasca and her partner in crime, Jeff Curran (guitarist) wrote the tracks during a heavy-duty bout of touring. "It was recorded in five studios around the country over an 18 month period - and was basically written to have an empowering impact on the listener," reveals Frasca.